Sweden provided many famous bands in the history of modern music. ABBA, Roxette, Hellacopters, the Hives or Refused, music from Sweden often stands for originality and (chart-)success. One of the newest exports from Sweden is the band Moneybrother, composed from Anders Wendin and his musicians.
Some general impressions:
So, what awaits you here? Basically, a mix of pop, blues and soul, that still has somewhat of an indie touch. Here and there, influences of 70s Disco music are present as well (most noticable on the first track 'They're building walls around us now'). Accordingly the musical setup and work is. In addition to the 'standard' setup of guitar, drums and bass, you find a trombone, sax, organ, trumpet and percussion. On the record there are also some string arrangements present. Anders Wendin as 'head' of the whole bunch is the lead vocalist, but the rest of the band are present as background choir as well. The musical work overall is good, the instruments work great together, and I could not think of any really negative points.
The topics of the lyrics are quite straight forward about relationships, love and the like. But mostly more from the melancholic side, which reflects on most of the songs. Apart from 'Nobody's lonely tonight' and 'My 'Lil Girl's Straight From Heaven' the songs have a quite sad touch to them. That only goes for the music itself though, as the lyrics on those tracks are pretty 'sad' as well.
Good and Bad:
Ander Wendin has a voice that really fits the music very well IMO. And sets the mood as well. I also found the overall style pretty refreshing. The whole 'old-school' touch with the organ etc. is not groundbreaking new, but adds it's own touch to the music.
On some spots the whole thing with the rather big band and the string arrangments in the background is a bit too much for me. It fits great on "They're building walls around us now" with it's retro-BeeGee-style touch, but on songs like "Nobody's lonely tonight" less would have been more on some spots. Nevertheless, still good stuff.
What's a reall bummer though, is the short playtime. After about 36 minutes it's already over. A song or two more on this would have been nice.
Summary:
For a Pop-like record, this is really good and enjoyable. If you're up for music with a pop-touch and if you have no problem if it features elements of Blues and Soul alike, as well as a melancholic feeling, this could be a good suggestion to check out. It's a nice record for some easy listening and chill out. If you despise lyrics about relationship and love though, make sure you stay away from this. Far away.
Final rating: 4/5
Recommended songs:
They're building walls around us now, Blow Him Back Into My Arms
